Taintaturus hopkinsi Cook, 1983

Material examined. New Zealand, South Island: Selwyn River near Raywell Farm, 08.vii.2007, 1/2/0 (mounted); ibid., 22.ix.2004, 3/3/0; Selwyn river near Scotts, 08.vii.2007, 0/1/0 (damaged); ibid., 22.xii.2003, 1/1/0; ibid., 25.xi.2004, 1/0/0; Selwyn River near Chamberlain's Ford, 16.iii.2005, 2/1/0; ibid., 23.v.2005, 7/1/ 0 (1/0/0 mounted); 25.vii.2005, 1/3/0 (1/1/0 mounted); Selwyn river near Coes Ford, 08.iv.2004, 0/2/0; ibid., 23.v.2005, 2/2/1; ibid., 20.viii.2004, 1/2/0; ibid., 20.ix.2004, 2/1/0; ibid., 20.x.2004, 0/1/0; ibid., 24.xi.2004, 4/ 8/0; 26.xi.2003, 2/2/0; ibid., 24.xi.2004, 2/5/0; ibid., 17.i.2005, 0/2/0; ibid., 16.iii.2005, 2/3/0; Selwyn river near Old Bridge, 08.vii.2004, 0/1/0; ibid., 10.ix.2004, 1/1/0; ibid., 20.ix.2004, 1/0/0; ibid., 20.x.2004, 8/4/0; ibid., 24.xi.2004, 0/1/0 (mounted); ibid., 24.xi.2007, 0/1/0; Selwyn river near Coalgate, 04.vi.2004, 1/0/0 (mounted); Selwyn river near Witthel, 20.ix.2004, 0/1/0.

Remarks. One female of the present species contains a single egg with a diameter of approximately 170 µm. As Cook (1991) already observed for another species of this genus, Taintaturus stoutae (known from deep water, driven wells), it is a mystery how such an egg can pass through a gonopore (with an opening of approximately 50 µm in our specimen). A reproductive trade-off between the size of the eggs and number of eggs would be expected in cases such as the loss of parasitic phase (Davids 1997), in which larvae forego parasitic feeding.

Distribution. New Zealand; previously reported from North and South Islands (Cook 1983).